Cross Country Magazine Issue 168

Cross Country 168, April 2016 is out now. Here’s what’s in the issue, from remembering Pierre Bouilloux to paragliding through the wilds of Tajikistan…

With his Gallic nose, quiet nature and penchant for long, solo vol-bivouac trips, there was something very bird-like about Pierre Bouilloux. He was wise, too. "If you’re ever stressed, go and stand with your back against a tree, and rest your worries against it,” he once told me. "It’s seen far more than you’ll ever see.” Many of us miss Pierre, and it’s only right that Ed Ewing has devoted a section of the new issue to the man. At 60 years-old, and of his own volition, Pierre left us way too soon and in completely the wrong way. Try out the tree trick, though – Pierre’s still around here somewhere…

The open road ahead of Olivier Peyre greets us on the cover shot, with all the mad keepsakes of his seven years cycling, sailing, and flying around the world. Seven years – that’s a big chunk of anyone’s life, right? Vincent Talleu, an itchy-footed and wild-eyed flying friend, looked at the copy on our kitchen table and said, "THAT’S what I should be doing!”

"Rear riser control gives you the maximum amount of information and the maximum control with the minimum input,” says Russell Ogden in a long article on gliding efficiently. Tim-Patrick Meyer breaks down the differences between two-line and three-line control and interviews Bernie Pessl, Ulrich Prinz and Armin Harich on the principles of McCready theory, among other things.

"Ragged cliffs eroded into wild shapes below us, while thick brown meltwater churned the river. There was no road to see, nor any sign of civilisation…” Ueli Neuenschwanfer and Thomas Ruesch describe their exploration deep into the Pamirs. "Maps were poor … the former KGB officers less than enthusiastic … the scenery impossible…” it’s an inspiring tale.

"Looking up as you carve into a thermal, the comp-like tips add that little frisson of excitement”, writes Marcus King of the Swing Nexus – one of the fastest EN-C class wings we’ve yet tested, with unique rear-riser control technology to boot.

"Don’t say… well, anything about flying!” Tom Payne gives us his guide on how to talk to a range of non-flyers, including your long-suffering family. Illustrations, as ever, are by the remarkable Steve Ham.